Finnish Lapphund Grooming
Grooming Made Easy
by: Jackie Barbor
That beautiful double coat is one of the many reasons we fell in love with the Finnish Lapphund, but maintaining your lappy’s luscious locks shouldn’t feel like a hassle. Grooming time shouldn’t be a dreaded experience for you or your dog. While their coat texture is more “harsh” and does not mat easily, we all know that doesn’t mean you can skip out on regular grooming. That thick coat needs to be brushed out properly in order to maintain a healthy undercoat and also helps keep your home from collecting dead hair. With the proper tools; (a slicker brush, greyhound comb, wooden handle comb, undercoat rake and a stripping knife), and products, coat maintenance is a much easier and less time consuming task. As a dog groomer, I have the opportunity to share my grooming experience with my clients and now to you!
It is very important to start grooming your lappy from puppyhood. They will need to be groomed their whole lives and the best way to prepare them for that is to start young. This should be a pleasurable experience, but not playtime! Remember, the floor is your puppy’s playground. It’s best to put them up onto a counter or table to get them out of their element. Most of the grooming while they are puppies is about getting them used to the brush, their nails being trimmed, the bath and the blow dryer. Patience is very important with all aspects of training a puppy and grooming is no exception.
They may try to bite the brush for example, and you mustn’t get angry with them. A puppy will also most likely be afraid of a blow dryer the first few times; start on a low setting and don’t rush it. You can’t expect them to be perfect and you always need to work in baby steps. With a little bit of encouragement and with each grooming, your pup will become a pro!
The first thing that I like to do when grooming my dogs is use the high velocity dryer to go over their coat. The dryer helps break apart any dead hair that is building up and also gives you a clear view of your dog’s skin. This is helpful in checking to see if they need a medicated shampoo or something with moisturizers in it. Once you go over the dog, then you will start with your tools. I start with my wooden comb or undercoat rake, (I only use the undercoat rake if my dogs have a lot of dead hair built up), at either side of the dog’s rear. Lifting the coat up, starting down by the hock, comb down. Continue in this pattern around the entire dog. Lifting the front legs up and forward makes combing out under the arms and the belly much easier. If it has been a while since your dog’s last grooming or it’s that time of year when they are shedding, an undercoat rake is most helpful. I’ve found that if you keep up with the brushing, about every 1-2weeks, you don’t need to use the undercoat rake.
After your dog is entirely brushed out, it’s bath time! I recommend using Isle of Dogs No. 20 Royal Jelly Shampoo, (helps to reduce shedding and also adds volume to the coat), and their ‘2 build’ conditioner, (a volumizer). Any product that adds volume without softening the coat will work well. I use EarthBath puppy shampoo, a tearless, soap-free product, for their faces. With that thick double coat, it is very important to wet the entire coat down to the roots. I like to wash the body first because once their head gets wet, they’ll start shaking, and then it will look like you’ve been having the bath! I also like to massage the shampoo and conditioner into my dogs’ coat; it helps to thoroughly coat the hairs and I think it makes for a more relaxing experience as well. Who doesn’t love a good massage? When rinsing, make sure you don’t leave any soap in your pup’s fur and don’t forget to clean those ears with a cotton ball and some ear cleaner.
You shouldn’t need to wash your dog that often, unless they love getting dirty or you are showing your dog. Finnish Lapphunds lack that “doggie odor” and generally stay clean for a long while. I only wash my dog, (who I do not show), about once a month and that is only because he gets a moisturizing treatment for dry skin. After a good towel dry, start the high velocity dryer and while drying, use the slicker brush to help with drying and to fluff out their coat. They should have a smooth top line, hindquarters and rear feathering. The feathering on their front legs should be brushed straight and slightly out towards their rear. Their tail and the scruff around their neck should be fuller; I dry up in these areas.
Try to make sure your dog is bone dry; this is especially important if showing your dog. It makes going over them with a greyhound comb much easier; this is one of the last steps. After your dog is dry, go over your work with a greyhound comb starting from one end of the dog to the other. Once again, lift the hair up and comb down. There should not be anymore dead undercoat left once you are through.
The final touches are on their feet. Trimming the hair between their pads, (either with a clipper or scissors), I feel is more sanitary and makes it easier for them to walk on wood/tile floors; less dirt gets brought into the house and they aren’t sliding on the floor. Make sure that their nails are clipped and the last thing that I do is tidy up around the sides and tops of their feet so that the hair is not splayed out. This is more of a personal preference.
One additional thing I like to do in removing dead hair from my dogs is to use a stripping knife. ONLY use this tool on your dog’s muzzle and on the front of their legs. If you use it on their body, it will break and damage their hair.
There isn’t much of a difference in the way I groom my Lappies for conformation vs. regular pet maintenance. I am just much more meticulous when grooming my show boy. I also like to add a little of Survivor from Eqyss Grooming Products on his coat for added shine.
Grooming a Finnish Lapphund does not have to be a tedious task and I hope that by using these techniques, you’ll be able to maintain a luxurious fur coat which makes for a happy lappy!